Superficial Love

For centuries, artists and song writers have incorporated love into their artwork. In Lil’ Wayne 2010 hit, Bedrock, takes the basic premise of love between two people, and degrades it to a fallacious union that is only held together by sex. The two parties involved, through the use of a first person narrative, take turns throughout the song expressing how “bad” they are and how good they are in bed. Accompanied with electronic sounds, a short, choppy lyrical structure, and a cliché-pick-up-line-oriented chorus further exemplifies the songs eroticisms. The song’s basic message is that truly loving and caring for one another is second to their bodily beauty and their abilities in the sheets.

Wikipedia defines a lullaby as a “song usually sang to speed along sleep…Usually simple and repetitive.” Bedrock begins by greeting audiences with an electric keyboard and sounds that are so superficial and inorganic that they scarcely be described as music. These instrumentals are repeated throughout the song without much change. The simple and repetitive quality is reverberated through Lil’ Wayne’s lyrics, which, though the song is categorized as rap/hip hop, are slow and methodical. Lil’ Wayne also uses a stutter technique throughout the song, repeating words and syllables to give the song some semblance of meter. “I let you be the judge, N-N I’m the case…I-I-I-I can make your bedrock.” The simply constructed tone, instrumentals, and broken record lyrics exemplify the simple lustful thoughts of sex, without giving any regard for emotional connections. It seems as if Lil Wayne wishes his audience to drift into these same thoughts with his acoustic lullaby.

An artist main goal, oftentimes, is to connect with the audience. In Bedrock, Lil’ Wayne seems only interested in connecting with audiences through simple, almost Neanderthal-like terms. The through the use of short, monosyllable phases, Bedrock confines listeners to the most basic level of understanding. The chorus of the song also exemplifies its simplicity, utilizing the same seven words in a staccato repeating pattern. In an attempt to add metaphorical meaning, Lil’ Wayne reuses old clichés and overused sayings, injecting them into the majority of the songs stanzas. “And now we murderer, because we kill time/ I hate to see her go, but I love to watch her leave.” Lil’ Wayne’s unimaginative and unoriginal language, further personifies the songs simple, lackluster message: that the only thing worthwhile in life is the performance of sex.

When a person finds someone who genuinely cares for them, they are reluctant to release it. The two parties in Bedrock are not concerned in anyway with finding true love; what garners their utmost attention is keeping their lustful, sex filled existence. The song revolves around this central point, never straying. The song seems to just be a conversation between the two unnamed parties, running down the list of why they are so good together. This list basically boils down to one factor; their bodily beauty. “I’m attracted to her, for her attractive a**…I love ya sushi roll, hotter than wasabi.” The glorification of the characters bodily attributes as opposed to more meaningful values, further demonstrates the lust oriented message.

According to ChaCha.com hip hop is the third most listened to genre of music. When the song first came on, I could not believe that someone actually wrote a song with such a lack of thought. I am interested in songs with a message; songs that make you think or promote some strong emotion. The only emotion that Bedrock evokes in me is a strong feeling of nausea. Through I have heard several hip hop ballads that have deep meaning, and thus appeal to me, Bedrock single handedly demeans the genre. The song takes the feeling and spirit of true compassion and love, and mocks it, inserting its own brand of love, which is nothing more than lust over bodily beauty. Bedrock not only insults the art form of music, but also insults my appreciation of different musical genres.